Resident Evil Freedom
by Chargal4
Summary: Revised edition of Resident Evil Freedom.  An experiment named Helen seeks freedom in an unforgiving world.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Dark Awakening

After a long, dark sleep, a figure awoke. All she saw was dim light, coming through a dim, pulsating cocoon. Silhouettes were hovering over it, and a blade punctured through, pus bleeding from some of the many veins covering her fleshy prison. The blade sliced from one end of the cocoon to the other, pus oozing from the severed veins. Gloved hands then reached through the slime of the cocoon, grabbing hold of her. Now pulled out from the cocoon, figures in white Biohazard suits severed the veins that bound her to the tissue. Shadows behind a window took notes on clipboards, eagerly waiting. She stretched her soggy, grey-feathered wings, allowing circulation to start in them, all while looking around, confused and frightened. She was whisked away, for tests.

On the seemingly limitless path, the girl looked at a scientist that was escorting her. His face was concealed under the bluish mask of his Biohazard suit, and he stopped to open the doors to a large, bright room. Its empty, sterile white walls looked nothing short of the nightmares to come. An identification band was clasped around her ankle, as she was lifted and strapped to a table. A scientist took a blood sample, the dark fluid filling several vials. More scientists checked for vital signs and brainwaves virtually absent in other experiments. The scientists prepared a report for their superior, Alfred Ashford. The girl was then escorted to a dark chamber, a cramped, humid, unlivable cell. Roaches scurried from sight. Rusty, bloodstained shackles were fastened to her ankles, wrists chained to the wall. "What's… go…going on?" she asked. The scientists looked shocked, maybe frightened. Their experiment actually knew how to speak! Their creature, with her ashen skin, laced with tarnished silver scars, her eyes a frightening blood red, was actually speaking. "Where… am I?" she asked.

"Your ability to speak and ask questions is astounding. Sadly, we will not answer. I'd be wise if you hold your tongue until our superior gives you permission to speak, clear?" a scientist demanded. Helen had a blank look. "IS THAT CLEAR?" he shouted. Helen nodded in reply, scared. "Good," he sneered, and the scientists left her, except one.

"Good to see you, Helen," the scientist spoke, warm and welcoming, if a little nervous.

"Helen?" the experiment asked.

"That's your name," came the scientist's disheartened voice.

"Oh," Helen softly sighed, "But I'm not supposed to speak."

"My name is Jessie. But I have to go now," Jessie spoke, saddened. Helen nodded. She curled her large wings around herself, going to sleep.

A voice on the intercom called for Jessie, sharply awakening Helen. She looked in the corner of her cell, seeing something move. Embedded in the brick was a shiny square, concealing a camera. Curious, Helen shifted to get a better look, but couldn't escape her chains. She stopped when heavy footsteps marched toward her cell. Scientists were retrieving her, most likely. The mechanical lock buzzed from within the door, which slid open with a whirr. Scientists came in, without their Biohazard suits; one gripped a stick with a lasso at the end. He reached over and looped it around Helen's neck, tightening it swiftly. Instantly, Helen struggled, but could barely move from being chained. Her limbs were released from the shackles, and Helen tried to pull away, choking herself even more. Suddenly, a painful force knocked Helen to her knees, and the scientists chuckled and sneered, holding a cattle prod. Forcing the dazed girl onto her feet, Helen was taken to Test Facility A28.

Helen regained her sense of awareness in the large room, in cold sweat. A voice boomed out on a speaker. "Well, it's been awhile since you last heard from me, hasn't it, #423501, or as you are properly identified, Death Angel," boomed the voice on the speaker, "I bet your dear Jessie had forgotten that all interactions with experiments are monitored _very_ closely. In fact, you are watched constantly! I'm sure you appreciate all the favors we've done for you. It's time for you to prove yourself, Death Angel. If you follow all my orders with no questioning, we'll get along very well. Otherwise, you'll just suffer. Let the tests begin! Death Angel, we've provided you with a target. You'll know what to do…" A horribly mutated zombie was dragged out. It seemed familiar to Helen. The zombie groaned pitifully, trying to come to her. Helen hardly knew how to react, torn between fear and an itch of familiarity.

The hazy, dim eyes of the zombie stared at Helen, and he painfully groaned, _"Helen…My friend, you're still here. After all this time." _Helen gasped.

Alfred, who had been speaking through the intercom, was getting impatient. "Death Angel you fool! Attack it! You stupid creature!" demanded Alfred through the microphone. Helen didn't know what to do. Her hands shook as an unknown fury built up inside of her, clawing its way out. Now enraged, Helen lunged into the air, wings taking over in flight. Scientists were aghast, this was the first time an experiment based on a human was able to fly. Trapped anger burning inside, Helen flew at the control deck, everyone fleeing before she struck the glass. By the time she was in the control room, her energy had gone out. Scientists stormed back into the destroyed room, grabbing her and screaming for her to wake up. All Helen felt was defeat as she blacked out in unwilling sleep.

It was hours later when Helen awoke, feeling a soothing hand stroking her head. Jessie then took a cool, damp cloth, trying in vain to wipe Helen's tears. The kind scientist spoke softly to Helen, but things seemed to replay over and over in the experiment's tortured mind. Holding a water bottle to Helen's lips, Jessie allowed the girl to drink in-between ragged sobs. It all ended when Jessie was called by the intercom, and she spoke, "I'm so sorry Helen, I have to leave. I'll be back as soon as I can."

"Please, don't go…" Helen pleaded as Jessie left. The zombie could be heard in his cell, chains rattling as he paced around the enclosure. Lying down, Helen tried to sleep. Alfred's words seemed to sink its claws into her, threatening to tear her apart. Helen felt a surge of uneasiness, but strength. She knew she had to fight. It was the only way…


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Wings Clipped

Weeks had passed on Rockfort Island. Helen's power had been tested with pleasing results, showing her strength, but also her fragile, unstable mental state. Rockfort scientists had discovered large concentrations of T virus in the cocoon, especially in the pus. The virus, though, was virtually nonexistent in Helen's blood. With Helen, Umbrella would have the chance to create a bio-weapon that could even make the Tyrant obsolete, if they played their cards right. Plans were being made considering Helen's fate. Jessie could no longer visit, and Helen would soon learn why.

"Here it is, experiment #423501's cell," A guard told Alfred, sliding a key card through the slot, opening the door.

Alfred waved his pale hand to dismiss the guard, and entered the cell. "Well I hope you're happy, Death Angel. Jessie is now sitting in a lonely cell much like yours. This wouldn't have happened if you hadn't made friends with her. Perhaps if you would obey orders I'll be more lenient on Jessie. Like you, she has orders to follow. Yet she disobeyed and is being punished accordingly, and…"

Helen cut off Alfred, snapping, "Jessie didn't do anything wrong!"

"Well, we cannot have you interrupting me! I guess we have to do something about that," Alfred taunted, grinning gleefully. With a snap of his fingers, two scientists came in, one with a black collar in his gloved hand. "You won't feel much, Helen," snickered Alfred. The first scientist seized Helen's head, holding his arm around it while the other bound Helen's neck with the collar. Tightening the collar, two cold metal prongs dug into the side of Helen's neck, soon stained red by the blood seeping out. "How's that feel, Helen?" Alfred sneered, "Is that too tight?" Helen made a strained attempt to reply, but an electric shock shot through her body, making her fall limp, gasping for air. Alfred could no longer hold in his amusement, laughing much like a bleating lamb. Helen looked up at Alfred, tears streaming from her red, burning glare. Alfred stopped laughing, and hit her hard in the face, "Do not look at me like that!" Thrusting forward, Helen tried to attack. The chains held fast. "You see, Death Angel," started Alfred, "You are merely a pawn in this game. And in this game, I've already won." With that, Alfred left. Helen could hear the zombie try to communicate with her in the next cell, vainly trying to reassure her. She couldn't reply, no matter how much she yearned to. Helen silently wondered about Jessie. Was she okay? Tears dripped onto the concrete floor as Helen silently cried. Alfred had approved the final preparations for Helen; the squad he appointed arrived, plane ready. They stormed into the cell, ready to take her, and they bluntly hit her in the head with the butt of a gun, knocking Helen out into a sea of black.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Frantic Escape

Helen woke up in the cargo hold of the plane. She had been bound and blind folded. Trying to escape in her half-asleep state, Helen fell onto her side in the splintered crate. A member from the team taking Helen away from Rockfort entered the hold to check on her. She prepared a tranquilizer, aiming the gun into the crate. Pulling the trigger, she hit Helen in the shoulder, Helen emitting a pained yelp as the needle pierced her flesh. "Just a few more hours, and you'll be home…" the team member hissed, as Helen fell unconscious again.

A rusty barred door whined as it closed, awakening Helen. Opening her eyes, Helen looked around, feeling sick. She wanted to scream, to cry out, but remembered the cursed device around her neck to silence her. 'What am I going to do?' Other experiments stalked, hissing, howling, and groaning in their prisons. Several scientists walked up to examine Helen. One entered cautiously, hand on his gun, just in case. Helen looked at him, fear evident in her eyes. Her gaze was halted abruptly as the scientist slapped her in the face. The scientist then pulled a few feathers from Helen's wings, putting each in vials. Another scientist then came in, preparing needles to take blood. Immediately, Helen pulled away, the chains preventing much movement. The scientist pressed the needles under her skin, the blood bubbling to the surface and into more vials. Helen screamed in her head, her thrashing more violent by the second. Her chains shattered as she pulled again. Scientists dove out of the way as Helen charged forward, pulling out their guns. They shot at her as Helen escaped and raced toward a barred window, shattering the bars and glass upon impact, going out into the frigid night. Behind her, helicopters rose to pursue her. Helen desperately dodged the gunshots fired from the choppers. Safety came into the form of a large concrete pipe, and Helen flew inside. She didn't know where it would lead.

Helen followed the pipe into a sewer system, getting scrapes and scratches from bumping around in the pitch black. Going for miles, Helen was able to hear rumbling above, the whistle of air as each wave passed. 'What's that?' Helen waded in the water to where it was quiet, finding a steel rung ladder to a storm drain, and shambled up to the surface. Quietly, carefully, Helen pushed up the heavy iron grate, moving it to the side. She looked around, fatigued, and felt her stomach clamoring for food. She found a few rats eating from a rusted, greasy garbage can. Helen went over to it, and pulled out a half eaten, moldy, soggy sandwich. Desperate for food, Helen ate it, yet she would throw morsels to the rats. Helen also devoured what she could salvage from a few apple cores and a moldy piece of bread. Shivering, Helen dug through the trash to find stained, worn old clothing to wrap around her emaciated frame. She ripped two slits in the back of an oversized, moth eaten overcoat to slide her wings through. Helen dashed away, to hide when she heard voices. Several homeless people, formerly quarreling, had heard her, and were looking to see what it was. Alarmed, Helen took flight, and they saw her, crying out that there was an angel. Rays of sun were just starting to bless the city as Helen found an abandoned, boarded up building. Yanking a board from a basement window, Helen had just enough space to squeeze inside. Rats and roaches scurried from sight as Helen stepped into the dank basement, deciding to stay here. She found a stack of slightly damp newspapers and arranged them to make a nest that shredded and fell apart. Helen lied down, and wrapped her wings around herself. She went to sleep, unaware of the challenges that awaited her.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Life on the Streets

Helen awoke, still tired, and looked outside from a crack in the boards. The sun was going down, and Helen's stomach whined for food. Tears welled in her eyes, '_I don't want hurt. But why is everyone trying to hurt me? The world seems familiar. I need to find something to eat.'_ Pushing out the damaged boards, Helen struggled to get out, as the rusted nails caught and ripped her "clothes" and scratched her skin. Outside, she stared up at the sky, light waning into a montage of colors in the oncoming night. Streetlights flickered silver, then brightened to orange. Looking around, Helen considered flying, but decided it was too risky. She then remembered the sewer. Going to the grate, Helen strained to lift the iron, finally shifting it to the side. Helen, quietly, slipped into the sewers, and started walking. She was unsure how long she walked or how much further, until she smelled food. Seeing the grate, Helen climbed up to it, the smell of food stronger than ever as she lifted it. An emaciated cat darted away as Helen climbed out. Someone had just thrown out several loaves of bread, as Helen saw when she looked in the dumpster. Greedily, Helen grabbed as many loaves as she could hold. Suddenly, there was rumbling as a truck rolled in. She darted back to the sewer grate, frantically going into the pipe. _"That was close" _Helen thought as the truck passed overhead. Struggling to hold her food supply, Helen made her way back to her "home", but froze when she heard voices.

"So, where did you see the angel?" asked one.

"I saw only a glimpse. But I did see it officer!" insisted another.

"Eh, he was probably drunk, sir," suggested a third.

"No, there have been sightings of this creature. Some driver of a garbage truck said he almost hit a winged creature at the back of Mama Sarah's bakery. Umbrella is offering a reward for its capture, $50,000 cash. They say they are concerned for its safety," explained the first voice. Helen gave a silent gasp. She listened more.

"So where did this creature go?" asked the first voice.

"In that abandoned building down the block, I believe," guessed the second.

"The one being razed in the spring?" questioned the third voice.

"Yep," stated the first. Their voices faded, and Helen trembled, frightened. She wondered if it was even safe to leave the sewer lines. The smell and humidity were overwhelming. _'What am I going to do?'_ She sat down, pulling some bread from one of the bags, eating slowly. The bread was stale and smelled awful, but it was all she could get. Finally, the smell and humidity made Helen decide to leave the sewer lines. Pushing open the grate, Helen climbed out into the cold night, needing to find another shelter away from the flurries drifting down. Helen ignored them, thoughts plaguing her mind. _'Where'll I go? No place is safe. What's an angel?'_ Stamping her feet to take away the numbness in her feet, Helen saw some of the homeless sleeping out in the alley. Looking at her bread, Helen decided to leave a few loaves with them. Taking a chance, Helen flew out into the frigid night.

Suddenly, gunshots rang out, and Helen took cover. A man fled from an apartment complex, dragging a small, crying child with him. There were frightened screams coming from inside the building. The man leapt into a car, speeding off down the roadway. Black and white police cars soon raced after the car. Helen watched from a safe distance, and flew to keep up. The car's tires screeched as the car flipped and crashed, ejecting the toddler. Not thinking, Helen flew down to aid the child, whom was near death. Helen placed her coat over the kid, and found that she could heal others. Police pursued the kidnapper, catching him down the snowy block. Turning around, Helen looked into the barrels of the officers' guns, the child waking up and crying. "Put the child down," ordered an officer, and Helen obeyed, quickly flying off. A younger, green vested officer went to shoot at her, but his superior stopped him.

"She'll come back. Just let her go. We'll get her another time," explained the officer, and the one put his gun down.

Helen wandered through the alleys. One side of her felt good for helping the child. Another felt foolish, risking her safety and freedom. Numb feet kicked through the snowdrifts, trudging through the cold ground. Helen's lips were painfully chapped, and bled through the deep cracks when she moved them. Digging up a few flattened cardboard boxes, Helen made a small lean-to. She crawled inside it, tears seeping through her closed eyelids. Time would only tell her fate.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

A Glimpse of Chaos

_'How long? How long have I run?'_

Helen looked out over the city. She heard of the mysterious murders in the Arklay Mountains. _'It's happening…' _Helen thought. She heard of the teams sent in, and their outlandish story. Only she knew the truth, now fearful. But she knew it was inevitable. Helen had seen the beauty of Raccoon City throughout its seasons. But she couldn't enjoy the liveliness of spring, nor the balmy summer, the colors of fall, nor the snow frosted winter. Helen was on the run, trying to find freedom. She hardly had the time to contemplate the oncoming danger. No matter what, chaos would break out. And the only thing Helen could do was hope for the best. As Helen used the sewer systems to travel, she pondered. _'This world is familiar, like I've seen this through human eyes. But how can this be? Was I dreaming?'_ Helen gathered food from dumpsters. She had grown used to eating from what others threw away. Each day passed, and Helen knew doom was coming closer, stalking in the shadows. Then, it happened…

Helen watched an ambulance drive away. _'Another ill… A lot of people have become ill. Too many…' _She walked through an alley, hearing something: a gargling, wet ripping noise. She gasped in horror, seeing two figures devouring a human being. The figures turned around upon hearing her. They were drenched in hot blood, a furious hunger in their blank, grotesque eyes. They let out several faint groans. Helen flew up into the air to dodge them as they and more advanced. Desperate, she flew out over the city, seeing more of these creatures appearing. Helen watched police try in vain to stop the outbreak; they had formed a roadblock, shooting at the creatures. The creatures easily overwhelmed the forces in their unsatisfied hunger, the scene turning into a nightmarish gore-fest. Helen knew what these creatures were; these were zombies created from Umbrella's twisted agents of warfare. Helen watched in horror as she flew by the Raccoon City Police Department. Landing for a moment, Helen looked around, until a large, hulking creature jumped out at her, roaring, "S.T.A.R.S." The Death Angel tried to flee, but the monster grabbed at her neck, holding her high in the air. Helen thrashed, her wings flapping wildly. A large purple tentacle formed out of the monster's arm, intending to impale Helen through her chest. Miraculously, Helen managed to free herself as the tentacle flew out. She flew away. The creature roared, and Helen could understand.

"_Leave! Or else you die!!"_ he warned. Helen turned around, landing at a safe distance, watching. _"Go! Leave now! You don't, I'll kill you!"_ the monster roared, whipping out his rocket launcher and firing. Helen flew off, in time to see a man in a yellow vest be slaughtered by this monster. She felt a gut urge to heed the monster's warning and flew far from the chaotic city. These scenes would forever brand Helen's memory. Cars were piled up, crushed like tinfoil, the red and gold tongues of fire burning everything as the monsters ran through the streets, painting the roads in blood. Helen sighed. The monster had told her to leave this lost cause. So Helen flew off into the dim morning, leaving the city to destruction…


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Years Past Dawn

_August 23, 2008. _

_A strange creature had been sighted in the forest. I don't want another nightmare like Raccoon City to happen again. I'm going to find out what this is. Rumor has it that this creature was dubbed the Raccoon City Angel. I'm getting to the bottom of this. Nobody but Kyle believes me, but I'll find a way…_

Rebecca Chambers looked up from her diary, looking around her apartment. Rebecca was now in Alma City, near the East Coast of the U.S. She worked as a paramedic in the local hospital, and started a new life with a new home, work, and a loving boyfriend. Yet in the back of her mind were echoes of the Spencer Mansion, and the news of Raccoon City nearly ten years ago. Umbrella had faded away, but Rebecca knew it wasn't over. She planned her search for this creature, said to have been raiding trashcans and dumpsters for food. Rebecca looked to her boyfriend, Kyle. They had mapped out every sighting of this creature, pushpins marking a map on a bulletin board. Kyle made plans with the campground supervisors. He worked in the park, and wanted to know about this creature, whether it was dangerous or harmless. "Alright Rebecca," he started, "The reservations are made. It's good you can take a bit of a vacation." Rebecca nodded. Kyle wanted to save this creature, before harm came to it. Rebecca was skeptical. She knew firsthand about the monsters created by Umbrella. Her thoughts shifted to Billy Coen. Soon after they were rescued, Billy was executed for his crimes. Kyle understood Rebecca's pain. "Let's get packing, okay?" he asked sweetly. Rebecca nodded, and grabbed her duffel bag off the bed.

The truck pulled up to the campground roughly at 9 p.m. Rebecca climbed out as Kyle shut off the engine, looking to the waning day. "Is this the place?" Rebecca asked. Kyle nodded, getting out his flashlight. Shining the light to the side, there was trash spilled from a nearby dumpster. "Seems like our creature was here," Rebecca noted. They hiked up the mud-slicked hill, looking for their campsite. It overlooked the creek near an abandoned railroad bridge. Kyle got out his night vision goggles, gazing through them as Rebecca tied the food into a bear bag. Walking a ways, she tied the bag high into a tree, and saw large, grey feathers strewn along the ground. Rebecca picked up the feathers, to show Kyle. As she hiked back to the campsite, she saw a humanlike form from the corner of her eye, which quickly flew away. Rebecca ran back to the campsite as it started to rain.

Making it back to the campsite, Kyle looked up at Rebecca, noticing her pale face. "Rebecca, you look like you've seen a ghost. What happened?" he asked.

"I think I saw the creature. Soon after I found these feathers." Rebecca held up the feathers. Suddenly, a blood-curdling cry was heard. Kyle and Rebecca grew alarmed, and ran to where the cry was heard. They found a chain tied around a tree; an illegal bear trap had snapped shut over a form's leg. The couple went to the trap, seeing a creature like no other. Her skin was grey, and she wore filthy, torn rags. Large grey wings tried desperately to get her to freedom. Her eyes were blood red, wide with fear. Black, matted hair hung like a forest over her face, with twigs and dirt entwined in it. She writhed in pain, the trap digging into her thin calf. Kyle called his superiors on his radio, finding the device dead. Rebecca tried to calm the creature, attempting to safely remove the trap. "It's okay, just calm down, please," Rebecca pleaded with the angel-like figure. Suddenly, the creature's struggling got worse, and then she went down as suddenly as it started, breathing like a fish out of water. Rebecca tended to the creature, getting out her first aid kit. But the problem was the trap.

The rain was now pouring down, and Rebecca knew hypothermia could set in fast. Suddenly, a large, scaly creature ran at her, seeming to appear out of nowhere. Rebecca froze, the monster seeming to come in slow motion. The memories of the Spencer Mansion screamed in her head. She sprayed her mace at it, sending it back for a moment. Then, the hunter swiped a massive hand, bluntly hitting Rebecca and knocking her out. Kyle rushed to aid Rebecca, but was hit with the butt of a gun. The angel looked up in fear at a blond figure, whose reptilian eyes were glowing with unspeakable power. He bent down, punching her in the mouth, hissing, "You know better. No eye contact." The reptilian beasts surrounded her as the figure then struck her again and again, until everything went black as the shadows closed in.


End file.
